College abroad offers new opportunities to students

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While many seniors are preparing for college life next year, seniors Isabel Jaszewski and Juliet Jiaras are also preparing for life in another country.

Jaszewski, who will attend The Medical University of Warsaw (MUW) in Warsaw, Poland, says her decision to attend MUW came down to practical reasons.

“A lot of factors went into it, but definitely the two biggest were financial reasons and time reasons,” Jaszewski said. “Finishing medical school in Poland is a lot faster and a lot cheaper than here.”

According to Jaszewski, although the school is in Poland, the students there come from all different parts of the world, which she says gives her the opportunity to learn about all different cultures.

“It’s basically a whole bunch of students from around the world gathering in one place,” Jaszewski said. “You get to meet so many new people … and have different experiences. This is the time to have these experiences, especially in college.”

Jaszewski says that another factor that drew her to MUW is the modern architecture of the buildings themselves.

“They just remodeled [the buildings] a couple of years back, so everything is super cool… and very modern, which is my style,” Jaszewski said. “A lot of the schools here have older buildings made out of concrete. In Poland, [the buildings are] full of windows and a lot of open space and… light, which is what I really need.”

Jaszewski says she has been to Poland many times and has family in Warsaw, which she believes will help her with the adjusting to life in Poland.

“If I were to go to… a completely foreign country where I have never been, I would definitely be scared,” Jaszewski said. “But… I know Poland so well because I’ve been there so many times throughout my life … so I know how people think and how people act usually.”

Jiaras, who will attend McGill University in Montreal, Canada, says she learned about the school through her friend.

“I visited Montreal a couple of years ago just as a family trip, and my best friend’s cousin … went to McGill at the time, so we had heard about it,” Jiaras said. “When I started the college process last year, it was always in the back of my mind, like ‘Oh, I should research that school again.’ So I did.”

According to Jiaras, one reason that she chose McGill was its city location.

“I kind of knew that I wanted to go a city school before I chose McGill,” Jiaras said. “Montreal is such a cool city, especially for students because there are so many universities there. It’s just that vibe of being with a lot of other young people who are students… and being able to get to know another city like I know Chicago.”

Jiaras says the bilingual aspect of Montreal also really drew her to McGill.

“I’ve been taking French since before middle school,” Jiaras said. “[Montreal] is a bilingual city. To get a job there, you have to legally speak English and French, so it’s such a good way for me to improve my French skills.”

According to Jiaras, although she is nervous to live in a different country, she is very excited for the new opportunities McGill will bring her.

“The thought of not being in America is a little daunting in general, but I am more excited than I am nervous,” Jiaras said. “With any college experience there is going to be a transition period, so I am not super worried in terms of feeling homesick because I know everybody goes through that, but I am just trying to have an open mindset in terms of being excited and ready for new experiences, rather than being scared by it.”